I would love to share with you a little piece of the journey God has our family on in the world of food, health and nutrition. Before you read on I want you to really hear me when I say that this is not meant to make you feel bad or shame you about how you feed your family or rather the way in which you love them through food. I am not better than you nor I do I think that I am the all-knowing food guru. I simply just want to share what God is teaching me right now in this season of my life. It all started 10 months ago while sitting around the dinner table with my family. I vivdly remember watching my husband and each of my children put bite after bite of food into their mouths. That particular night I served them sloppy joes using Manwhich mix from a can, frozen french fries, frozen veggies that had been microwaved and a scoop of canned fruit soaked in syrup. I was feeling pretty good about it actually. My husband even commented on how he appreciated that I strive to feed them a balanced meal. That was a pretty balanced meal, right? I mean after all I did hit just about every food group.
It hit me like a ton of bricks that my idea of a 'balanced meal' was never going to be the same.
Sitting in my little black chair at the end of our dinner table I could hardly stand watching my precious family
Little did they know that their bodies were about to undergo a huge change. They would soon be adjusting to a diet that consists of what I affectionately call real food.
That night I sat crying with my husband while I poured out my heart about this new conviction. It wasn't just the food that overwhelmed me. It was the fact that I had never owned (or even seen) my responsibility as his wife and their mother to fill their bodies with food that nourishes them and provides what they need to grow and develop both physically and spiritually. I felt like a complete failure. How had I not seen it this way before? Why was I so busy just getting food on the table that I didn't take the time or care to consider what I was putting in their temples.
God graciously removed the scales from my eyes so that I could see things in a different light, for the first time. He challenged me to consider my role as their nourisher and I didn't back down from the challenge.
I began surfing the internet for information about food and how our bodies process things. I read the Bible searching out Scriptures that would help me understand God's design for our bodies and how He wants us to view food, health and nutrition as a whole. I read books like Wheat Belly by William Davis and The Makers Diet by Jordan Rubin. I was on a mission to gain as much knowledge as I could so that I could readjust our lifestyle in a way that honored God. I didn't want to jump into a new diet fad or make changes that temporarily took my guilt away. God placed a hunger in my heart to know Him deeper through this journey rather than just get on a temporary 'health kick' until I got bored and lazy. I've done that before. I've been down the road of feeling inspired and making huge changes in our diet only to fall right back into my old habits. The key for me this time was that it went deeper. I had a reason why that involved my heart not just my mind. There are a few things God has been showing me through this journey.
1. Food is a deeply rooted heart idol in me as well as our country as a whole. We look to food to fix our problems. We use it for comfort when we're sad or stressed. We use it to pacify our emotions when we're overwhelmed. We use it as a way of coping with suffering. We use it as instant gratification when a 'craving' hits and we want something that tastes good right now, instead of something that is good for us. Timothy Keller describes a heart idol as this, "It is anything more important to you than God, anything that absorbs your heart and imagination more than God, anything you seek to give you what only God can give." Simply said, we turn to food instead of God.
2. If I feel better then I can serve better. I see this pattern in my own life that if I am feeling good, I am more readily able to serve other people. If I am struggling with my energy levels then I am unable to give anything more than what my family needs or if I do commit to things outside our home then I am not as effective because I am tired and weary physically which means I am weary emotionally as well. For example, if my friend needs a babysitter so she can get some much needed time alone but I have just scarfed down greasy potato chips, a soda and a bowl of mac 'n cheese, I am not likely going to have the energy to add another toddler to my busy household. I am probably counting down the minutes until I can get a break at naptime.
3. My family needs good nourishment to function best. I can literally see the difference in my kids behavior and physical well being when they are not eating good. We went to a beautiful baby shower this past weekend for my little sister. The food that was served was served with such love but it is not food my kids are used to eating. There was a lot of processed sugar. I did limit what they had but even still it was not something their bodies were used to and it was obvious. By the time we left the party they were in full meltdown mode. Not only was their behavior terrible but they had bags under their eyes and I could see the restlessness in their bodies. They had a sugar high energy but at the same time they were crashing and desperately needed physical rest. It was a nightmare. I am responsible for what is put in their bodies. It can be helpful or harmful. I choose. I can be lazy and throw in a cardboard (this is the term we use for non-nutritional food) frozen pizza or I can take a few extra minutes and make something that will leave their precious bodies fueled and built up.
4. Self-discipline honors God and reaps rewards. It is no secret that God desires us to live a life soaked in self-discipline. For me that means taking extra time to make healthy meals, not grabbing for unhealthy convenience snack and limiting my portions so that I am honoring him with my food choices. Another area I am working on this is by getting up at 5:15 every morning to spend quiet, uninterrupted time with God before my day begins. God is pressing in on me to not only work on self-discipline with the physical food we consume but also the spiritual food I consume. I need to also fuel my spirit with the spirit of God. I can only do this by spending intimate time with him. Right now, that is the early morning hours.
5. Food is not my god. I read a great blog post recently written by a woman who was burdened by the fact that we can take healthy eating and just as easily turn that into a god. I so agree with her. My hearts desire is that I will keep my perspective and priorities healthy and where they need to be. I want to honor God with healthy eating but not to the point that I think earthly food and wellness power is greater than God's power. He is above all.
6. Our bodies are temples. If I believe what the Bible says (and I do), and the Bible tells us that our bodies are temples, then this is true. If our bodies are temples then I have to ask myself how God wants me to prepare my temple for worship. Worship isn't just singing at church, it's the way we live our lives for Jesus. Daily I ask myself if I am preparing my worship, God-dwelling temple in a way that honors Him and prepares me to serve Him to the fullest. My heart is the first place I need to prepare but my physical body is also a part of my temple.
I gave my children unhealthy snacks to pacify their bad moods when I should have been asking God to give me His strength to love them more patiently. I fed my husband his favorite foods all the time because I wanted him to be pleased with me instead of seeking to please God alone and looking to him for affirmation. I ate loads of chocolate and ice cream when I was spent at the end of a long day when I should have opened my Bible to know God deeper and be satisfied with Him. All the while I was sowing these seeds in my family. Not to view food as a gift from God to nourish our bodies in order to serve Him but rather as a means to enjoy pleasure at the cost of our health and sometimes intimacy with Jesus.
I learn something new almost every day about food, nutrition and wellness. I love what God is teaching me right now. I also love knowing that my journey with this whole thing has only just begun. He will continue to teach me and refine my view on what we put in our bodies. That's what it's all about...learning as we go. When people ask me where to start making changes in their diet I always remind them to focus on it being a journey and make small changes along the way. It's the same in our walk with Jesus. I sometimes get frustrated because I wish I was more spiritually mature but the reality is that I will never 'arrive' until the day I get to stand before God at His throne in Heaven. Life here on earth is a journey. Just as learning to care for our bodies better is a journey.
One last thing to you young moms... I know you're tired and thinking about meal planning and spending hours in the kitchen can seem overwhelming. I get it. I'm there with you. Just know that God's grace is boundless and He will meet you on your most tired days. If all you can muster up is kisses and mac 'n cheese for the day then you have raced well. God loves you where you are at. Don't ever think serving your kids potato chips means you are less than. If you want to make changes then I encourage you to pray, asking God to show you what ways HE wants you to change what you're feeding your family. If He asks it of you then He will sustain it for you. He will give you what you need to carry out those changes.
With love,
Chels
Note: I split this post into two parts. In part 2 I will include the more practical application piece of what we're doing. So if you're interested in the changes we've made then watch for part 2 which I'll share in a few days. There was just too much to write about and I didn't want to shorten either piece.
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